MOVIE REVIEW: BOYHOOD

Richard Linklater's Boyhood is a coming-of-age drama that the director spent twelve years making. He cast a young boy, Ellar Coltrane, and shot the film a few days at a time for over a decade so that he could capture how his leading actor, and the rest of his cast, aged. The film's story simply follows a boy named Mason (Coltrane) as he progresses from age 6 to 18 and deals with the typical travails of childhood like his parents' divorce, bad stepparents, falling in love, finding his artistic voice, and fighting with his bratty older sister. Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette co-star as Mason's parents. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Director: Richard Linklater 

Cast: Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Lorelei Linklater, Steven Prince, Libby Villari

Release Date: Jul 11, 2014

Rated R for Sexual References, Language and Teen Drug and Alcohol Use

Runtime: 2 hr. 42 min.

Genres: Drama

Review:

Richard Linklater’s audacious cinematic experiment is truly unlike anything you’ve seen before in a movie.  It’s a ground breaking experience that truly takes us through a journey that all of can relate to.  At its core it’s a fairly straightforward film about the ups and downs of life but by letting us see the growth and aging of the cast of as a whole, it creates a certain singular effect as you watch the film.   Ellar Coltrane is truly authentic and effective as Mason from childhood up through the film’s finale.  Occasionally there’s some chunkiness’ in his delivery but overall it’s an impressive coup all things considered.  Patricia Arquette really shines as his mother as we follow her journey throughout the twelve years covered.  She brings a high level of believability and honesty to the role that’s hard to pull off.  Ethan Hawke is equally impressive while working with much less screen time.  The characters transformation is impressive and believable mainly due to Hawke’s impressive work.  The story is anything but idyllic and while some of the relationships presented do tend to follow a certain routine it never feels inorganic or cheap.  Linklater has a certain ability to capture reality on celluloid much like he’s done before on his Before series and he’s done it here with this masterpiece.

A

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of Jupiter Ascending & Paddington

Dearest Blog, with no Hobbit and nary a single decent-looking new release, there was really nothing to draw me to the cinema this weekend aside from the fact that I couldn't imagine sitting out two weekends in a row. Since I also lacked the wherewithal to sit through two stinkers in a row, I paired one of the weekend newbies with my sadly-neglected Paddington.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

First on my agenda, the comically horrible Jupiter Ascending.

Mila Kunis stars as a seemingly-normal Earthling whose life is endangered when she discovers she's universal royalty.

Dear reader(s), I shan't insult your intelligence by trying to tell you Jupiter Ascending isn't a mess; in fact, it is the cinema equivalent of your family room after the Super Bowl party, the Mall on Black Friday, Morgantown after a big game. I spent a good portion of the movie trying to determine whether the acting is literally the worst in history, or if the dialogue is just so poorly written there was nothing the actors could do with it.

Come next week he'll likely be an Oscar winner, but Eddie Redmayne is an embarrassment, a strangely-sweaty version of Gary Oldman's most over-the-top mid-90s baddie. I adore Sean Bean and Mila Kunis, but I hope they both fired their agents for getting them into this! Curious that a guylinered Channing Tatum, hardly the most respected name among the cast, was pretty much the only one who didn't make me cringe.

The story is a jumbled disaster that sometimes drags worse than the slowest David Cronenberg slog. A chase scene at the beginning is so long and repetitive that I fell asleep twice and woke up while it was still going. Having said all that, Jupiter Ascending is still oddly entertaining at times.

The sets and effects aren't anything special, but they are often very pretty, as are some of the costumes. There are plenty of funny moments--intentional and not--and (at risk of sounding girly) Kunis and Tatum make an adorable couple; it's not hard to root for them.

Jupiter Ascending clocks in at 127 minutes and is rated PG13 for "some violence, sequences of sci-fi action, some suggestive content, and partial nudity."

Bad as it is, I didn't hate it. How's that for backhanded praise? Of a possible nine Weasleys, Jupiter Ascending gets four and a half.

Next up was Paddington.

A young bear from "darkest Peru" comes to London looking for a home.

I admit, for a movie about which I'd been pretty excited, I've been shamefully neglectful of Paddington.

Its schedule never seemed to work with other movies I wanted to see, and, after a couple weeks, I'd sort of resigned myself to waiting for DVD. I am so glad I didn't! My first thought upon seeing a Paddington trailer was, "Please don't mess this up." When Colin Firth jumped ship (to be replaced by my beloved Ben Whishaw) and the US release was pushed from a perfect holiday date to mid-January No Man's Land, I couldn't help but expect the worst. I am pleased to report that, whatever the reasons for those bumps in the road, Paddington is a pretty perfect movie.

The story is sweet, but never sugarey. The cast is top-notch, and Whishaw couldn't be more perfect as the voice of our beloved bear. There are many great laughs, for kids and adults alike, with enough action to keep things moving along at a good clip.

Finally, the movie manages to bring home an important message without beating viewers over the head with it.

Paddington runs 95 minutes and is rated PG for "mild action and rude humor."

Paddington is perfect for folks of any age, a genuinely terrific afternoon at the movies.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Paddington gets eight.

Until next time...

 
Well, there's always this...

MOVIE REVIEW: JUPITER ASCENDING

Mila Kunis stars as Jupiter Jones, an everyday girl in the future whose life takes an unexpected turn when an ex-soldier (Channing Tatum) comes looking for her in hopes that she can live up to her destiny as the savior of the universe. Andy and Lana Wachowski once again dip their feet into sci-fi territory with this sprawling Warner Bros. epic. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Director: Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski

Cast: Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, Sean Bean, Eddie Redmayne, Douglas Booth.

Release Date: Feb 06, 2015

Rated PG-13 for some Violence, Sequences of Sci-fi Action, Some Suggestive Content and Partial Nudity 

Runtime: 2 hr. 5 min. 

Genres: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy 

Review:

Hybrid Wolf space hunter with space rollerblades.  If you can wrap your head around Channing Tatum’s character alone then you might find something to like in the Wachowski’s nearly incoherent and utterly ridiculous Jupiter Ascending.  The story is absurdly outlandish even though it feels incredibly familiar as well.  Thankfully the Wachowski’s bring this usual visual flair to the proceedings making for some truly impressive action sequences that keep you entertained once you’ve decided to turn your brain off completely.  If you accept Eddie Redmayne, acting with combustible collagen fueled lips, as a mad despot then you might find some enjoyment in the silliness.  Mila Kunis is ok as the titular Jupiter but she looks just as confused as we are, as a result she played her character like a gullible moron who’s only happy with her space hunter wolf hybrid and his space rollerblades.

C

MOVIE REVIEW: A MOST VIOLENT YEAR

An immigrant and his family strive to maintain their burgeoning business while contending with urban violence and corruption during a particularly harsh New York City winter in 1981. Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac star in this urban drama from writer/producer/director J.C. Chandor.

Director: J.C. Chandor 

Cast: Jessica Chastain, Oscar Isaac, Albert Brooks, David Oyelowo, Alessandro Nivola.

Release Date: Dec 31, 2014

Rated R for some Violence and Language

Runtime: 2 hr. 4 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama

Review:

A Most Violent Year is a slow burner of a film that’s a fascinating character study.  J.C. Chandor’s film is a morality tale at its heart as we watch a man fight to keep his principles in tact while trying desperately to succeed.  It’s the kind of film that’s light on action and heavy on dialogue which can turn off some people, especially since the film is sold as a crime drama which it is an and isn’t.  It’s very much in that vein but doesn’t follow the well worn path.  At the center of the film is Oscar Isaac who is incredibly engaging and captivating as the lead.  Isaac has a simmering intensity throughout which keeps the film engaging as its moves at a methodical pace.  Jessica Chastain nearly steals the show as his wife and the film is so much better when she’s on screen.  Chastain’s an actress whose impressed me more and more with each passing film and this maybe her best yet.  Throw in some strong, if understated, supporting turns from Albert Brooks and David Oyelowo and you have a wholly impressive drama which feels like a throwback to headier films from the 70s. 

A

MOVIE REVIEW: PROJECT ALMANAC

David Raskin (Jonny Weston) is a high-school science nerd who dreams of going to MIT. When he and his friends (Sam Lerner, Allen Evangelista) find a "temporal displacement device" built by his late father, David can't wait to start tinkering. When they finally get the device to work, the teenagers jump at the opportunity to manipulate time in their favor -- but their joy is short-lived when they begin to discover the consequences of their actions.

Director: Dean Israelite 

Cast: Sophia Black-D'Elia, Allen Evangelista, Ginny Gardner, Jonny Weston.

Release Date: Jan 30, 2015

Rated R for some Language and Sexual Content 

Runtime: 1 hr. 46 min. 

Genres: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Suspense/Thriller 

Review:

Found footage films are well past the point of expiration, so if you’re watching one you’re probably one of those people who still enjoys the genre to a certain extent.   Project Almanac uses the conceit fairly well while mixing in the time travel into the mix.  Time travel stories have built in issues to begin with and the plot here doesn’t really do anything special and its solutions to some of the bigger logical issues is just to ignore them.  Luckily, the film’s cast is likable enough to make the film fairly enjoyable even though it’s a tad too long for its own good.  It’s a solid bit of mindless fun even though it takes a good while to get going and once it takes off the film’s over, leaving an endless amount of possibilities on the table unexplored

C+

Cindy Prascik's Review Backstreet Boys: Show 'Em What You're Made Of & Wild Card

 Dearest Blog, by my count there were no less than seven movies opening this weekend.

Four of them looked pretty good, and the other three are playing at my local cinemas. So...to the cable box we go for Backstreet Boys: Show 'Em What You're Made Of and Wild Card.

Okay, dear reader(s), if we're being honest, and fair to my local cinemas (even the gross one), it would have taken a helluva movie to compete with folks as near to my heart as BSB and Jason Statham.

Were The Hobbit still in play, I'd almost certainly have paired one of the stinkers with another Hobbit screening, but no Bilbo meant a weekend of "home cinema" for yours truly.

Spoiler level here will be mild, I guess. Is it even possible to spoil a documentary?

Anyway...first on my agenda: Backstreet Boys: Show 'Em What You're Made Of, a behind-the-scenes look at the ups, downs, and enduring popularity of BSB.

Show 'Em What You're Made Of is an honest and heartfelt documentary. The peaks and valleys of fame, and of essentially living in each other's back pockets for two decades, are on full display, and the group members often bicker like old married people.

The conflict and raw emotion make for some hard viewing when you're a fan! (I'm scarred for life by watching Beatles yell at each other in Let It Be, and never did get all the way through Some Kind of Monster.) Still, it's clear Howie, Brian, Kevin, AJ, and Nick love one another like brothers, and it seems no dispute is significant enough to derail the BSB train for long.

The movie touches on the group's legal dispute with former manager Lou Pearlman (currently serving prison time for perpetrating one of the world's largest Ponzi schemes) but is mostly filled with clips of new and old videos, live performances, and behind-the-scenes goings-on, bringing back great memories and making some new ones. And of course there are the songs...oh, the songs! The voices! Backstreet Boys are as fine a vocal group as ever there was, and it's terrific to see how they've stood the test of time and outlived their "boy band" designation.

Backstreet Boys: Show 'Em What You're Made Of runs 101 minutes and is unrated. If you're considering age-appropriateness, there are a number of F-words and the usual adult themes you'd expect for this sort of thing.

I suppose I'm not the only one itching to say "Backstreet's Back" while writing about this movie, but it's clear that Backstreet was never gone. 20 years later, I'm still proud to be a fan.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Backstreet Boys: Show 'Em What You're Made Of gets seven.

Next up was Wild Card.

Jason Statham stars as a Las Vegas bodyguard who lands on the wrong side of some very dangerous people.

Ahhhh...Jason Statham...a name that sends me to the cinema on opening day every time. Of Statham's three most recent "starring" vehicles, this is the second to go straight to VOD, so I had to assume it was, perhaps, not his best work. While that proved a correct assumption, it wasn't quite as bad as Redemption, so I'm counting it as a win.

Statham is great as always in the kind of role he could play in his sleep, and, if it's nothing new, it's still fun to watch. Unfortunately, Wild Card has little else to recommend it. It's only about an hour and a half, yet it drags along, never really getting anywhere.

The generally-likable Milo Ventimiglia is awful in such an awful role that it's hard to even look at him. Most characters are so poorly developed that you just aren't interested, and it's impossible to like/sympathize with the one person with whom you're probably supposed to like and sympathize.

If you look at the cast list and see a name you like, but that name's not "Statham," well...don't waste your time. The handful of other notable cast members probably don't have ten minutes' combined screen time. There is a bit of classic Statham action, but not nearly enough to keep Wild Card from being something of a snoozefest.

Wild Card clocks in at 92 minutes and is rated R for "strong violence, language, and some sexuality/nudity."

My love for Jason Statham is undiminished, but if I'm looking for a fix I'm probably gonna go dig out Death Race again.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Wild Card gets four.

Until next time...

*squee*